Yuji Horii
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DRAGON QUEST SMASH/GROW, THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE DRAGON QUEST SERIES, OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES APRIL 20
Square Enix announced that Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, a new roguelite RPG for smartphones, will officially launch on April 20, 2026. An opening trailer by Kamikaze Douga has been released, showcasing familiar Dragon Quest monsters and the protagonist's mechanical sidekick Roly, voiced by Toshio Furukawa. Pre-registration is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Square Enix announces it will integrate Google’s generative AI Gemini into popular online game Dragon Quest X
Square Enix is integrating Google's generative AI, Gemini, into its online game Dragon Quest X to provide players with conversational assistance and hints. This feature, embodied by the companion character Oshaberi Slimey, aims to help new players navigate the game. Square Enix is also collaborating with Google Cloud to expand AI usage, with executives predicting AI will significantly transform gaming within the next three to five years.
DRAGON QUEST SMASH/GROW, THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE DRAGON QUEST SERIES, BEGINS PRE-REGISTRATION TODAY, MARCH 17, 2026!
Square Enix has launched pre-registration for Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, a new roguelite RPG for smartphones, on the App Store and Google Play. Players who pre-register will receive in-game rewards. The announcement was accompanied by a new promotional video narrated by Toshio Furukawa.
Everything starts sounding simpler”: Dragon Quest creator on translating Japanese into English
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii and Paranormasight director Takanari Ishiyama discussed the challenges of localizing Japanese games into English. They highlighted how nuances in Japanese pronouns and speech can be lost in translation, leading to simpler dialogue in English. Voice acting is seen as a way to partially mitigate this loss of flavor.
"The Flavour Tends To Get Lost" - Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii On English Translations
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii and PARANORMASIGHT director Takanari Ishiyama discussed the challenges of localizing games into English. Horii noted that the nuances and 'flavor' of the original Japanese text often get lost in translation, resulting in a more simplistic feel in English due to fundamental language differences.
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost in many ways" when translating games from Japanese
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii believes that the English translation of games often loses the original Japanese flavor, making them sound simplistic. He acknowledges this is an inherent challenge with the language, though fan translations have sometimes captured the intended feel better than official ones.
Square Enix Frees Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake From Denuvo’s Grip
Square Enix has removed Denuvo anti-piracy protection from the PC version of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. This move aims to improve performance and align with the original vision of the classic RPGs. The decision is seen as a positive step for Square Enix's relationship with PC players and may set a precedent for future releases like Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake.
